Winchester Mystery House Friday the 13th

Published on: July 10, 2018

Odd things happen any day, but Friday the 13th held special meaning to the extremely superstitious Winchester rifle heiress, Sarah L. Winchester. For those visiting the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, it’s clear that Sarah’s never actually left the premises. In honor of Sarah’s attraction to the number 13, special flashlight tours are held each time it happens — like Friday, July 13, 2018!

Until her death, Mrs. Winchester completed 160 rooms in a Victorian-Era mansion per the advice of a Boston Medium who assured the fearful woman that she could appease all those lost souls killed by the “Gun that Won the West”.

Having visited the mansion on a regular weekday tour, I had an unexplained malfunction of my Nikon camera which began flashing the message “13” and would not budge to take a photo. It happened when the tour guide pointed to a kitchen drain cover which was custom-made per Sarah’s instruction, complete with 13 openings where water could pass through. There may be a logical explanation for every odd occurrence in life, but this was an unappreciated mystery I had never dealt with before.